Who Ever Said There is Only One Alice?
by The Inventor-BTAS
Summary: Is there really no saving Jervis Tetch to reform and start anew? Anna Wilson doesn't believe that's true and thanks to the helpful suggestion of Dr. Hugo Strange, she is going to try to show him that his life doesn't have to revolve around a children's book. The real question is, will she end up sucked into the story instead of saving him from himself...
1. Chapter 1

"Are you sure Ms. Wilson? This isn't just anyone who is going to be working with you."

"Positive. Just because he has lost a few marbles, doesn't mean he is not capable of changing...Besides, I'm not someone who is easy to push around. I think I am more than capable to handle a former madman."

The blonde scowls at the row of doctors, placing her hands onto her hips as she stands her ground, stubborn determination glimmering in her dark blue eyes. Anna Wilson is not letting the group of doctors rattle her nerves with their displeasure at the idea of her helping Dr. Strange in his proposed rehabilitation program. From what he had explained, this is merely to allow the inmate to get their foot back into the door and begin working like they had before becoming insane. Does she know this is risky? Of course but sometimes it takes a leap of faith to make some things happen.

Dr. Strange had approached her a few months ago with the proposition of having one of the Asylum inmates come work under her supervision as a form of rehabilitation. Evidently, they were not keen on the idea for many reasons, one of which seemed to be because she is the owner of a small Robotics Engineering company. This she has to make them see is not going to be a problem.

She glances at Dr. Arkham to give him her best attempt at an encouraging smile. He doesn't return her smile at all. No, he instead frowns a little more. He is concerned about the potential for disaster and it shows in his eyes. Anna's eyes quickly scan the faces of the other doctors, her heart sinking a little as she sees they all share similar expressions. Her smile slowly begins to dissipate as she sees that things are not going as well as she had hoped. Her attention returns to Dr. Arkham when he clears his throat.

"Ms. Wilson, I know that you mean well but this is a lot more dangerous than you think. Mr. Tetch is not someone to under estimate. I'm worried you might be over your head."

Sighing, her frustration becomes rather clear as she pinches the bridge of her nose. Anna looks at Mr. Wayne, frowning at him as he sits there with that stoic expression on his face. Alright, so she knows of the Mad Hatter's reputation (who hasn't) but that is no reason for her to be afraid. Anna is strong woman, she is not about to let someone's past mistakes stop her from giving them a chance. His past actions shouldn't stop him from giving reform another go...though his last attempt was certainly news worthy.

Anna can't say she blames Mr. Wayne for coming so quickly to be a character witness to keep Hatter in the Asylum but even someone like him should be able to appreciate the attempt. Tilting her chin up, she counts to ten to keep her temper in check before continuing.

"You might be right but there is only one way to find out. Please, all of you, just listen to me...just for a few moments of your time. I know I am still fairly new to Gotham and you are all hesitant to let me oversee his rehabilitation but I assure you I am a competent person. Jervis Tetch was once showing great promise in his field and from what I have see of his files, he still has an interest in returning to his work."

Anna looks away from Mr. Wayne to look back at the doctors judging her every movement, every word that leaves her mouth. She swallows the lump in her throat as she tries to figure out how to make them see how this might work to their advantage. After a moment of thought, a more determined look appears on her face.

"I am not asking you to just give me a chance, but I am asking you to give **him** one as well. Yes, he has done many things in the past to show that makes it questionable that he even is able to reform. But if he is willing to try, knowing that he is going to be heavily monitored, then he deserves to get that chance. Just like everyone else, Jervis Tetch must dream of a happier place and a brighter future. Why not let him have it?"

Her words are greeted with silence, the doctors simply looking at her for several painfully long moments before Dr. Arkham speaks up again.

"Ms. Wilson, we will need you to step into the hall for just a moment. We will discuss what you have brought up and you will be called back in once we have made our decision."

"I understand."

Anna slowly nods, biting her tongue to stop herself from saying anything that might make her look bad. Now, all she can do is just cross her fingers and hope that she has made a decent impression on them. Without saying another word, she slips into the hallway and makes her way to a wooden bench just outside the door. Sinking down onto it, she rests her elbows onto her knees so that she can prop her chin onto the heels of her hands. Did it work? Will she be able to try to make a difference in someone's life?

After several painfully long moments, the doors open and a guard beckons her back in. Taking a deep breath, she gets back to her feet and follows him inside of the room. Standing in front of the doctors once more, Anna feels as though she is standing on trial and the solemn faces that greet her are not making her feel any less worried. Dr. Arkham watches her for a moment, letting her shift uncomfortably from one foot to the other, before he finally speaks.

"Ms. Wilson, we have decided to allow you to participate in this rehabilitation program that Dr. Strange has proposed. However, we will require weekly status updates on Mr. Tetch's progress and that he comes back once a month to show the progress that he has made."

Anna's eyes widen at his words, a smile slowly starting to form on her face. Before her emotions can get the better of her, she composes herself and restricts herself to just giving him a bright smile.

"Thank you Dr. Arkham, I make sure that we do just that!"

The rest of her visit to the asylum goes by in a blur as she fills out more paperwork than she thinks is needed for this sort of thing. Then it's over, and she finds herself standing in front of the ancient building with an overwhelmingly numb feeling. Looking back at the door, she smiles once more. This is it, she's going to be able to do **something** and who knows, maybe she will be able to befriend the mad man in the hat. It shouldn't be too hard to turn things around for him, right? Shaking her head, Anna quietly makes her way over to her car and pulls her keys out of her pocket. No, it shouldn't be and she is going to be the one to help the Mad Hatter reform, that she is sure of.


	2. Chapter 2

Jervis peeks out at the guards on the other side of his glass enclosure while he waits to hear what his verdict is. Frowning slightly, he tries to make himself as comfortable as one can possibly be while laying on a cot. He knows all too well that his fate is being determined by the doctors. Has he not proven that he does indeed wish to be a part of society once more? He has sat through countless sessions with these idiotic doctors but really, when has that ever really proven anything? Even if he wasn't still infatuated with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, he would still have a hard time proving he is sane once more.

"As the Red Queen says 'sentence first-verdict afterwards'..."

He mumbles to himself as he stares up at the ceiling. The waiting is always the hardest part of this process. As he lays here, musing about his fate, the sound of Joker's laugh begins to ring in his ears. This isn't anything out of the ordinary, Joker always finds something to laugh about but he always has the same thought when the clown starts up...please not me; anyone but me.

"Hey old Hat! Lets try to guess what the doctors are up to. I think they're suggesting one of us gets the chair."

Jervis cringes slightly at the sound of that dreaded clown's voice. He knows all too well that Joker is only trying to goad him into getting angry and he isn't about to give the man what he wants. On the contrary, he rolls onto his side to stare at the wall. This only makes Joker snort obnoxiously. Now the clown raises his voice a little louder as he starts addressing the whole cell block.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Witness, before your very eyes, that most rare and tragic of nature's mistakes. I give you: the Mad Hatter."

Jervis grinds his teeth, struggling to ignore Joker as he teases him mercilessly. He can't give in, not now. Not when he is this close to freedom. When Jervis doesn't respond, Joker pauses. For a moment, Jervis swears that he is done, his spine relaxing slightly as he starts to let out a quiet sigh of relief. This relief vanishes as Joker continues.

"Physically unremarkable, it instead possesses a deformed set of values. Notice the hideously bloated self imposed importance. Note its belief that it controls those around it...its crippled self esteem and withered optimism. It's certainly not for the squeamish, is it?"

"Oh, shut up clown. No one wants to hear your insentient babbling."

"Jealous Jonnyboy? Maybe we can start talking about you then..."

Crane's indignant snort can be heard as he turns a page in his book.

"You can if you want. Just remember that I warned you that it is not a particularly wise idea."

Joker's shrug can almost be heard as he goes back to making fun of Jervis. Evidently, picking a fight with Scarecrow isn't as much fun as it is to make fun of him.

"Were was I-Oh yes! Most repulsive of all, are its obscenely large head and horrendous buck teeth. How does it live, I hear you ask? How does this poor pathetic specimen survive in today's harsh and irrational environment? I'm afraid the sad answer is, 'Not very well.'"

It takes every ounce of self control he has to refrain from snapping at Joker. Jervis reminds himself that it isn't worth it. Joker isn't going to make him crack. Not now, especially now that the sound of the door opening and closing at the end of the hall. The door that leads to where the trials are held. He sits up on his cot, looking out of the glass once more. The closer the guard gets to his door, the tenser he becomes. It isn't until the guard is standing before him does he realize that he is holding his breath.

"Well?"

His voice comes out a lot more breathless than he had intended, and he struggles to conceal the annoyance that comes up when the guard smirks at him. But the man has the gale to just stand there in silence for unbearable amount o time. It's enough to make even a sane man go mad. He squirms anxiously as he restrains from snapping at him. _'Just be patient Jervis ol' boy...be patient.'_

"You got lucking Hatter. You're outta here next week."

Jervis can clearly see into Joker's cell over the Guard's shoulder and wrinkles his nose in distaste as Joker presses his face on the glass.

"Oh? You mean some moron **actually** thinks the Old Hat has a chance? Hahahaha! That's rich!"

Joker looks at the cells around his as he raises his voice a little more.

"Alright! Lets start making bets...Harv? You in?"

Joker falls silent as Two Face flips his coin.

"Yeah...I give 'im two weeks."

"That's generous of you. Croc? What about you?"

"I give him a week."

"That's still generous, I'm surprised you think Old Jervie will make it that far. Come on, anyone else care to place their bets? Don't tell me you're all afraid to lose to little ol' me..."

Some wooden rattling can be heard from the far end of the cell block as Scarface snaps some muffled orders at poor Arnie. If it wasn't for that blasted puppet, Jervis could possibly like the man. But, alas, the man couldn't be separated from the foul mouthed block of wood.

" 'Ey! Funneh man! Deal me in will ya?"

"Alright Scarface, what's your bet?"

"I give 'im tree days. Dat's it."

Jervis grinds his teeth, his eyes narrowing slightly. The nerve of them! If he wants to put on a show of going straight, then he will do just that. Even if he had wanted to give it a try, he has every reason to now drag it out for as long as he possibly can. Well...to at least make it past two weeks. He certainly isn't going to give them the satisfaction in proving them right and letting one of them win their little bet.

"Why I never-how rude! We shall see about that gentlemen...we shall see."

Joker laughs again, his grotesque grin growing just a little bit larger as he spots Jervis' expression as he presses his cheek against the glass .

"Oh lighten up Old Hat. You can't say we didn't show you a good time. Enjoy yourself out there. Just don't forget - if it ever gets too tough...there's always a place for you here."


	3. Chapter 3

The big day finally arrives and Anna can't help but absently plays with a little hair that falls into her face. The walk from her car towards the door seems to be exceptionally long and she scowls to herself as she begins to talk aloud to herself.

"_If this is successful, think of the possibilities Miss Wilson. You'll be remembered for being such an important part of this. Just think, if we can change just one person, we can change anyone."_

"Are you sure this is a good idea? Didn't he try to kill that blonde broad…Alice what's-her-face."

"_Yes but think of the break through this will be for science…your name will go down in history…just think of the investors clamoring to your lab….they'll be more than willing to pay you anything you want."_

Anna snorts loudly, pausing long enough to kick a rock. It bounces away loudly before finally settling a foot away.

"I'm an idiot for doing this."

This really should make her feel something. She should feel nervous or something along those lines. But no, in reality Anna has very mixed emotions about the whole matter. Yes, having a known criminal working with her, staying in the loft over her lab, is really starting to sink in. Oddly enough, it doesn't frighten her in the slightest. Strange was so sure of how successful this rehabilitation will be, perhaps she really is doing the right thing. Even still, there is a small sense of wariness that she can feel building up in the pit of her stomach. Everyone with half a brain knows of what he has done and Anna just can't totally dismiss this fact. Standing at the door, she stares at it for a moment before she shakes off the concerns about her own physical safety. She can't stand here all day. Walking towards the front desk, she clears her throat to get the attention of the clerk.

"Excuse me."

No answer. The man doesn't even bother to look up from his computer screen. There is a long moment of silence, only interrupted by the sound of his fingers as they begin to move quickly across the keyboard. Anna frowns, frustrated by this. She tries again, this time raising her voice just a little more.

"Excuse me. I'm here to pick up Mister Tetch."

The man's hands pause on the keyboard, his eyes darting up for a moment to look up at her face. Again, there is that moment of silence. Then, he calmly points to draw her attention towards a wooden bench next to the front door.

"Wait over there; he'll be out in just a few minutes."

Nodding, Anna moves over towards the bench and sinks down onto it. She stays quiet as she sits there, absently picking at her fingers while she watches the clerk calls the doctor…at least that's what she is hoping he is doing, sitting around in this place gives her the creeps. Yes, it's quite pleasantly decorated and the ambience isn't terrible, but there's just something about this place…it feels almost alive. Not in a good way, oh no, but in the way a tortured soul just waits to be put out of their misery. '_Waiting is perhaps the worst part of this whole day.'_ She muses. '_So far anyway, who the Hell knows what will happen once we leave the asylum.'_ The sound of three people walking towards the door to her left makes her perk up. As they get closer to the door, she can pick up the sound of them talking, nothing terribly clear just yet but it's obvious that someone is being told to behave themselves. _That must be him._ Anna quickly gets to her feet, slapping a smile onto her face as she turns towards the door to greet Mister Tetch as he and Dr. Strange walk into the lobby.

"Hey there! Looks like you're ready to go."

"More than you will ever realize, m'dear."

Hatter looks at her, an eyebrow raised at the smile plastered onto her face. Does he think that she's faking it? Well, she is a little. There is certainly a little a little nervousness fluttering about in her gut as she stands before him. She knows that he's looking her over, possibly considering wondering on Earth she must be thinking to agree to do this, but she pretends to not notice. Instead, she turns her attention to the doctor that stands next to him.

"I think everything is in order. I have all the documents you requested prepared and I-shit sorry Mister Tetch-WE will be checking in monthly."

"Hmph, no need to apologize. I'm quite use to that."

"Very good Miss Wilson."

Doctor Strange turns to Hatter and gives him a pleasant smile. Hatter's nose noticeably wrinkles, clearly not interested in talking to the good doctor longer than he needed to. However, Doctor Strange either doesn't notice or care, instead his smile grows just a little more.

"Now Mister Tetch, take care to remember that you aren't a free man just yet."

Hatter snorts indignantly, glaring at Doctor Strange as he crosses his arms.

"Of course I know that! Now can you kindly hurry this along?"

Anna has to bite back a small laugh as he snaps at the doctor. She can't blame him for being so antsy to get out of the building, she feels the same way. Oddly enough, this outburst makes her feel a little more at ease around him. It makes him seem more human, like he's just any old guy who just wants to go home and kick off his shoes. Noticing that Hatter is looking at her oddly, Anna does her best to stop smiling. _'Whoops, wrong time to think that was funny apparently.'_ She looks away from him and turns her attention to Doctor Strange.

"I think we have all the paperwork in order…so…we're just going to be leaving now."

'_Wow that came out a lot more awkward that I would have liked. Oh well, too late now.' _She looks back at Hatter and gives him a small smile. For a moment, he blankly stares down at her before he returns her smile. Anna's shoulders relax at this, finding something comforting in his smile. Doctor Strange notices the two of them exchanging smiles and a thoughtful look seems to flicker onto his face for a moment. But before Anna can think too much on it, the look is gone and his pleasant smile is back on his face.

"Excellent. I'm looking forward to seeing the both of you again soon."

They walk quietly together towards the door, an awkward silence lingering in the air between them as they step outside. Anna glances at Hatter from the corner of her eye a few times, debating about what to say to him. She does this the whole way to the car until she finally gets tired of the silence. Anna stops abruptly, whipping around on her heel to face him. Turning her chin up so that she's staring him in the eye, Anna plants her hands onto her hips and grins at him.

"You know what. We're getting some take out. How do you feel about Chinese?"

Hatter looks down at her and blinks in surprise.

"I beg your pardon? Chinese take out? It isn't per say my favorite."

"Oh well. It's going to be your first taste of freedom."


	4. Chapter 4

Jervis isn't sure how he feels about Miss Anna. Here he is, sitting in her car, waiting to be taken to some cheap Chinese restaurant. He stifles a snort of distain. It is a nice gesture after all, he can't be rude. He glances at Anna as she prattles on about something. It isn't of any great importance really…she's just babbling about nothing in particular. His eyes move down her body as he takes her in for what seems like the millionth time.

There is something about her that reminds him of his Alice but at the same time she is very different. Alice dressed so lovely, always wearing such pretty dresses that brought the blue out in her eyes…Anna is just wearing a suit that looks like it belongs in a pawn shop. Alice would always wear her hair down, but Anna has hers yanked back in a tight braid. Even in personality she doesn't quite match what he loved about Alice. She was quiet, reserved…well mannered. Whereas Anna is, well, very brash. He's long since noticed that she is not at all comfortable with him sitting next to her in the car. Not that it bothers him much; he is rather use to people being uncomfortable around him. His Alice certainly displayed the same discomfort. Jervis frowns thoughtfully, his attention now on the buildings they pass.

What if he decided that he wanted a new Alice? Granted, this isn't the first time he has thought about this, nor is it the first time he has attempted this, but now he has the opportunity to try to _make_ Alice…his very own Alice…once again. An Alice that won't leave him for some _Billy _or some other fool. Though, does he really have another chance? He looks at his reflection in the mirror and scowls. Not likely. The other potential Alices didn't want anything to do with him, what makes him think that this one will either? Then again…there really is no harm in trying. If he can get one, just one, Alice to come willingly, perhaps he won't have to worry about using a card on them ever again.

"So where is this restaurant, Alice?"

He holds his breath, waiting to see if Anna will catch it. She doesn't say anything right away, but she noticeably stiffens up when he calls her Alice. Seconds tick by and Jervis begins to wonder if she is going to call him out on it. Curiosity and excitement building up in him as he starts to believe he has a chance.

"We're going to be there soon, Jervis. It's only another two blocks."

'_Curiouser and curiouser.'_ He has to resist the smile that so desperately wants to appear on his face. Perhaps if he plays his cards right, he could have an Alice to call his own. Then he can forget about her and have someone all to himself. Oh yes, he'll just sweep her off her feet and show her that he can be the gentleman she's never realized she's needed.

"And, my name is Anna."

Well, at least he had a moment of hope. Frowning, he does his best to look confused by her words. Raising an eyebrow, he turns to look at her once more.

"Of course it is m'dear….Why? What did I say?"

As they stop at a red light, Anna looks away from the road to look at him shrewdly. _'Oh dear, she looks quite cross with me. Too soon.'_

"You called me Alice. That's not my name."

He gasps, bringing a hand to his mouth in mock embarrassment.

"Oh my! My apologies m'dear. I didn't mean-"

"Right. Sure you didn't."

The wheels squeal loudly for a moment as she slams her foot onto the accelerator. Jervis grabs door, his eyes widening ever so slightly. _'Note to self, wait a few weeks to call her Alice again…and preferably when she isn't driving.' _Once the car slows back down to the speed limit, he pries his fingers from the handle. The rest of the drive was in total silence, Anna's annoyance radiating off of her in waves. Evidentially, he is going to have to take this slower with her. His Alice was much easier to appease than she is. _'No matter.' _He relaxes in his seat once more. _'I am a patient man. I will take as long as needed to make her my Alice.'_

He behaves himself for the duration of the ride, if even to just avoid provoking Anna's temper. However, he is more than ready to show her just how much of a gentleman he really is. The moment the car stops, he leaps out. Whatever objections Anna may have about this are cut off when he slams the door shut. Oh yes, he is going to show her just how the Mad Hatter treats his Alice. Grinning inwardly at this, he rushes to her side of the car to open the door before she can even reach for the handle.

"Allow me."

Anna doesn't get out of the car right away. Instead, she remains in her seat and stares at him as though he still belongs in a straitjacket. When she takes too long to get out, Jervis frowns and looks at an invisible watch on his wrist. An amused smile starts to slowly appear on his face as his eyes flick from his wrist to Anna's face.

"Are we going to wait until the restaurant closes or are we going to go in now?"

This makes her frown and scramble to get out of the vehicle. Scowling at him, Anna pushes him out of the way. Now it's his turn to frown. Before he can say anything further to her, she marches towards the door and wrenches it open. Jervis moves quickly to catch up with her, but she purposefully closes the door in his face. This makes him grind his teeth, his fists clenching tightly.

"Why I never-how rude!"

Even as angry as he is, Jervis bites his tongue before he blurts anything else out. He'll be sure she learns some manners. After all, his Alice must be a well-spoken lady. This rudeness is unacceptable by any stretch of the imagination. Holding his head high, he lets himself into the filthy hole in the wall she has dragged him out to. _'Dear God…this food has to be amazing in order for it to be worth wading through this wretched place!'_ He sees what looks to be an enormous cockroach run past his left foot and wrinkles his nose.

"This isn't exactly a place I would visit…are you sure the food is edible?"

Anna looks back at him, a brow raising as she notices that he hasn't stepped away from the door. A sly grin slowly begins to appear on her face and she props a hand on her wrist as she looks down at the other. Jervis doesn't quite realize what she is doing right away but when he does, he narrows her eyes.

"What's the matter Mister Tetch? Don't tell me you're too squeamish to even try it."

"This place is filthy!"

This prompts her to laugh, a Cheshire Cat grin plastered onto her face.

"Oh come on. Where's your sense of adventure? How do you know you're not going to like it until you actually try?"

Not being the sort to take kindly to being laughed at, Jervis stalks towards her, irritation written on his face.

"If I get food poisoning, it's your head."

Anna laughs at him. The nerve of her! He watches her in frustration as she snatches a paper menu off the counter. She shoves the menu into his chest, still grinning from ear to ear.

"Roger that. Now shut up and look at the menu."

'_No manners at all. Really, was she raised in a barn?'_ Biting back the comment that is just itching to be said, he instead busies himself with looking through the selection. His eyes flick up to look at her again, noticing her watching him read the menu.

"I beg your pardon. Is there something I can help you with m'dear?"

Anna's cheeks turn a light pink at his words, her eyes flicking away to look at the counter as she snatches up a menu to look at herself. She shoots him a sheepish smile.

"Nope. Was just….um…looking."

He raises a brow at this but refrains from saying anything. Maybe he can tempt fate and try calling her Alice again. It was certainly less risky for him to do it now that they are not in a moving vehicle. He mules on the idea for a few moments before deciding to give it a shot. His eyes flick back down to the menu in his grasp, his eyes fixed on his choices while he speaks.

"Oh I'm sure you were, Alice. But remember, curiosity will lead you down the rabbit hole."

He can feel her staring at him, feel the apprehension she is feeling. But, she doesn't say anything…doesn't even try to correct him. All she does is stare. When her eyes finally leave him to look down at her own menu, he grins. Oh yes, she will do nicely. Clearly, she just needs a push in the right direction….and it looks like it won't be too hard to give her that little shove.


	5. Chapter 5

Anna's eyes flick up to stare at Hatter when he isn't looking at her. That's the second time that he has called her Alice. _'Shit. This is not good.'_ Feeling unsure if he is calling her Alice on purpose or if it is a slip of the tongue, Anna bites back the urge to snap at him again. She'll have to talk to him about it later. Besides, it wouldn't do her any good if she made a scene. The man still isn't mentally healed, so she may be putting her life into her hands by setting him off. Forcing herself to stop thinking about it, she makes her eyes lock onto the menu in her hands. The rest of the time in the restaurant seems to drag on, every minute becoming more uncomfortable than the last. Anna is only able to relax when their food is bagged up.

Hurrying to the counter, she snatches the bags of food and rushes for the door. Still wanting to not alarm the employees, she barely manages to keep herself calm enough to not sprint towards the door. Hatter somehow manages to slip past her and grabs the door for her. Freezing, she stares at him as he politely holds the door open for her. There is something about that smile….nothing sinister…but there is certainly something troublesome about it, like he is cooking up some sort of scheme. _'Oh yeah, this is not good…not at __**all**__.' _Shaking it off, she flashes him a small smile before walking out of the building.

Anna isn't really thinking as she hops into the car, only noticing that Hatter seems to be fighting back a grin once they've both settled into their seats. Slowly, a thought comes to her. He was messing with her! The bastard was having a good laugh at her expense. As annoying as this is, this made her feel a lot better. Frowning, she shoots him a dirty look.

"You're not funny."

This earns her a small chuckle from the madman as he buckles himself in.

"Who ever said I was trying to be funny?"

No one did but she could dream. Still, she does her best to not show that his words bothered her, clenching her teeth, and starts the car up. The ride to her workshop is as quiet as their ride was to the restaurant, her discomfort hanging in the air once more. This is going to be a very long night that much she knows for sure. Realizing she's been holding her breath for a good part of the drive, Anna lets it out in a loud _whoosh_. Hatter lets out what sounds like a snicker, making her eyes flick over at him for a moment.

"What now?"

Hatter grins at her, amusement flickering in his eyes once more.

"Oh nothing really…were you holding your breath for any particular reason?"

"Shut up."

He does just that, falling silent for the duration of the drive, something Anna is grateful for. Turning a corner, her workshop slowly comes into view. Smiling in relief, she glances at him once more.

"Well, here's my place."

Hatter looks at her oddly, making her realize that she perhaps used the wrong phrase. Blushing slightly, she clears her throat.

"What I meant is here is my workshop. I…I spend a lot of time here."

Focusing on the road again, she clamps her mouth shut until she parks the car in front of the shabby looking building. It isn't much, just a modified warehouse, but it serves the purpose well with the added bonus of not being bothered by anyone. She catches Hatter looking at it dubiously and laughs.

"I know, it doesn't look like much, but you can't judge it by how it looks on the outside. Didn't anyone teach you the old phrase "you can't judge a book by its cover"?"

Without waiting for a reply, she slips out of the vehicle and grabs the bags of food from him. A part of her is bound and determined to show him that she doesn't need, nor want, him to treat her like a lady. She can't figure out why it bothers her so much that he was opening doors for her at the restaurant, maybe it was the whole Alice business, but she feels like she needs to set him straight. He can't be acting like this, especially if he wants to start over again. Leading him to the front door, she pauses long enough to juggle the bags of food on her thigh while she wrestles with the door.

"Damn this thing! I gotta remember to grease up the hinges or something, this is just ridiculous!"

Grunting loudly, she gets the knob to turn just enough so that she can slam her shoulder into the door and force it open. Stumbling inside, she looks at Hatter and grins.

"See, it's not so bad."

Hatter walks in quietly, looking around at their surroundings. Her workshop is much nicer looking on the inside but even still, it certainly does look like it needs a lot of work. His eyes comb over the partially finished inventions, the pile of tools that have been haphazardly tossed onto the ground next to what looks like an engine and eventually settle on a cot at the far corner of the facilities.

"Why on Earth is there a cot in here?"

She blushes slightly at the tone in his voice. There's something about how he said it that makes her feel, well, ashamed for the many nights that she has crashed in here instead of going back to her apartment. It takes her a moment to really think about it, to come up with an explanation that doesn't sound stupid.

"Well, sometimes I lose track of time…It's better than sleeping in the car."

Hatter looks at her and raises an eyebrow, frowning slightly.

"M'dear, a lady should never resort to settling for a cot. Your back will surely thank you for sleeping in your bed."

A thoughtful look flickers onto his face for a moment, catching her attention for the split second that it's there, before he continues.

"Besides, what would your boyfriend think? Surely he would rather you come home every night."

Anna snorts loudly, walking towards the folding table she eats at every night.

"Boyfriend? I can't imagine where you thought I have one of those. I'm married…to my work. I don't have time to deal with relationship nonsense."

Setting the bags down, she starts pulling the Styrofoam containers out and opening them, taking in the scent of their meal. This is why she loves the dive so much; their food always tastes as good as it smells…even if there are roaches all over the damn place. Smiling to herself, she glances back at him as he approaches the table. Anna notices that thoughtful look on his face, a curious look flickering onto her face as she tries to figure out what is going on in that head of his.

"Something the matter?"

Hatter shakes his head dismissively, walking over to grab a couple of folding chairs for them.

"No, no, not at all. Shall we dig in? I do believe you still have to prove me wrong about this place's food."

Anna grins at him, grabbing them some silverware before joining him at the table.

"Oh, it's on. You're so going to be eating your words. This food is fantastic!"

Maybe he isn't that bad, he's a bit more pleasant now that they are in her workshop. Perhaps he's like her and just needs to be around some machinery to feel a little more at ease. She certainly does…her creations are everything to her. They're practically her children. Hell, she might as well call them her babies; God knows she has put enough blood, sweat and tears into them. Anna closes her eyes for a moment, popping a forkful of chow mein into her mouth and savoring it. Tonight is getting much better…Hatter will be more fun to talk to in a work environment and things will work out alright.

She watches Hatter as he hesitantly tastes the food, grinning as she sees his face light up.

"See? What did I tell you?"

"Ooh, very well. You're right, the food isn't terrible but I better not get sick."

Anna laughs loudly, the grin growing on her face. Alright, he's still very uptight but at least he's not angry with her now. That's a step in the right direction.

"Okay, fine. But you realize that if you get sick, so will I. We can be miserable together and we can sue them."

Now it's his turn to laugh.

"I rather like this plan. We can sue them for all it's worth. What a grand scheme. Well done Alice."

Oh boy, there he goes again. Two steps forward and ten back. Still, she can't be too mad at him. It is still his first night free from the asylum.


	6. Chapter 6

This certainly won't do. His Alice won't be sleeping on a dirty cot. She deserves better and he will have to help her see that. Their meal in the workshop certainly gave him plenty of opportunity to look over her creations, allowing him to notice that she keeps several partially finished projects tucked away under tarps. She must have noticed him looking at the tarps, as she quickly drags his attention away from them to show him an engine she has been building from scratch. Each time he looks at the tarps, she does something to take his attention away from them. _'Curiouser and curiouser.'_ He of course can tell that she is so determined to keep something hidden from him but that won't last long, he won't allow it. Still, he must keep a pleasant air for now; they've hardly had the chance to have tea together. The evening was rather enjoyable after he stopped looking at the hidden objects. In fact, they were able to share a few laughs and discussed robotic engineering (something Jervis didn't expect her to know so much about). Looking at his watch, he sighs and gives her a small smile.

"It appears that our evening must come to an end."

Oh, how he hated that he has to leave but it would be frowned upon to misbehave on his first night of freedom. What would she think of him then? Alice, because as far as he is concerned she is going to be his Alice, leans over to a drawer and reaches inside to pull out a small clock. As she spies what time it is, she frowns.

"Oh damn, you're right. We gotta get you out of here before you get in trouble with your parole officer."

He opens his mouth to tell her to not worry about it, but she's already leapt out of her seat and start walking towards the door. When he doesn't follow her right away, she looks back at him and raises an eyebrow.

"Well? Come on, we don't have all night."

It really is pointless for him to even try to argue, he can see that in the expression on her face. Not that he objects to her taking him "home". It will give him a chance to help her in the right direction. So, instead of arguing with her, he smiles and gives her a small nod.

"Yes, of course."

They move quickly out of the workshop and into the car, vainly trying to keep him on schedule. As she takes off, Jervis can't help but look at her as she drives, noticing the way her brow furrows when someone so rudely cuts her off and she tries to not curse them out or how the tip of her tongue peeks out between her lips when she starts to grow impatient. It's rather cute to say the least. Inwardly, he smiles. Yes, she is his Alice. He's finally found her. How silly he was to think that she was just one of the replacements. She is Alice. Not _an_ Alice. _The_ Alice.

Noticing that she's glanced over at him, he quickly looks out the window to watch the buildings as they go by. After a few moments, he looks back at her and smiles. Oh yes, she's lovely…perfect even. Yes, she's still a little rough around the edges, she certainly could use a little help learning how to speak proper English, but she's still perfect none the less. Even when she starts swearing incoherently at the car that cuts them off, making him get closer to becoming late by mere seconds, she is perfect. Sighing quietly, he savors her for just a moment longer before looking out the window again to observe how much closer they are to the halfway house. His time with his Alice is now drawing to an end for the evening, such a depressing thought indeed, but he shall see her again in the morning. Just knowing this makes Jervis cheer up once more, a smile appearing on his face as a new thought pops into his head. _'Flowers...of course….Alice loves flowers!'_ He can show her how happy he is to see her by bringing her a bouquet of roses. Surely she will appreciate that. If the cot in the workshop is any indication, she doesn't get out very often.

Jervis snaps out of his thoughts as the car comes to a stop, blinking in mild surprise as he realizes that they are at his destination. His smile fades slightly but he still manages to keep a pleasant look upon his face as he gazes at her.

"Good night M'dear. I shall see you in the morning."

Alice smiles at him, sending his stomach into delighted little backflips, as he climbs out of the car, her arm draping over the passenger seat as she turns to face him.

"Night Mister Tet-"

"Now, now…call me Jervis. Enough of this Mister Tetch nonsense."

Jervis frowns as he wags his finger at her disapprovingly.

"We're going to be working together, there's no need to be so formal."

Alice laughs, an amused glimmer appears in her eyes.

"Fiiiiiiine. Good night _Jervis_. I'll see you bright and early."

"Much better."

He smiles once more and bows slightly as he pulls the box filled with his things from the car. Jervis glances at Alice once more, smiling a little more as he sees that she is still chuckling, before turning to walk towards the place that he will be calling home for the next few weeks. His eyes scan the building, taking in every inch of the dirty structure and his nose wrinkles in distaste. It's abysmal really…barely acceptable for the homeless to stay in let alone The Mad Hatter but it will do for now. He has an appearance to keep after all. For now, he has to bite his tongue and make due with where he is staying…he certainly is not going to let his fellow rogues win their bet.

Sighing, Jervis locks the door as he carries the box into the "living room". Good lord…was this really supposed to be a living room? There's hardly room for an armchair and loveseat let alone the living room set that was somehow crammed into the room. Frowning slightly, he shakes his head and sets the box onto of the rickety coffee table before falling backwards onto the sofa. No matter, he shall get a good night sleep so that he can be ready to sweep Alice off her feet. Now reminded of his mission, he makes his way towards the bedroom, pointedly ignoring the poor quality furniture once more, and prepares for bed. He has a lot to accomplish in such a short period of time. As he settles into the bed, he hums to himself softly before he breaks out into song.

"Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance?"

It isn't a question really, she will join the dance. He knows she will. She's Alice after all. This thought makes sleep come to him, a small smile remaining on his face as he dreams of his future with Alice and the lovely life they will have together...starting with flowers. Lots, and lots of flowers.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: to all of those reading this fan fiction, thank you. I hope you're all enjoying the story thus far and I want to thank all of you for reading. I hope you continue to enjoy the story! :)**

Lying on the cot in the workshop, Anna stares at the ceiling. Their first face to face wasn't as bad as she had been worried it could have been. Maybe Strange had the right idea about him…maybe this can work. Then again, she really isn't so sure about any of this. Part of her is hopeful that she will be able to help him get back into society but another part of her doesn't think that this is going to end well. How many times has he called her Alice already? Frowning to herself, Anna sighs and shakes her head.

"I'm over thinking this…everything will be just fine."

Yawning, Anna stretches and cracks her aching back before looking around the dimly lit workshop. Her eyes fixate on her stress relief, her personal project. After being Called Alice so much, she needed to do something…just to get her mind off of her concern about how successful this rehabilitation program is going to be. Her eyes move over every inch of the machine, taking in the partially built humanoid figure that is surrounded by tools and parts. At least knowing that she has control over her work helps banish her thoughts on Jervis away. Smiling to herself, her shoulders relax as a thought occurs to her. _'It's almost done.' _She's been so anxious to finish and to meet her baby.

Anna knows that most people wouldn't consider a machine their baby but to her it makes perfect sense. After all, she has put so much time and effort into the machine…sacrificing time and money to make this dream a reality. _'It would be insane to not think of it as if it were a child.' _Anna walks over, stooping down to grab a wrench. Her eyes flick over to the clock resting on top of a large toolbox.

"Oh wow…Is it really eight am already?"

Anna frowns to herself, fully aware that Jervis will be walking into the workshop any minute now. Grumbling incoherently to herself, her thoughts too muddled to string words together, she grabs the tarp and pulls it back over her baby. She doesn't want anyone to see it, yet. It isn't completed and it would be a crime to show the unfinished product. Anna runs her hands over the machine, smiling to herself as she feels the hint of the cool metal through the tarp, smoothing out the wrinkles. When she has ensured that her creation is sufficiently covered, she stoops down and begins to pick up the materials she had used throughout the night.

Admittedly, the clean-up is never as enjoyable as creating the mess, but it certainly does help pass the time. Before she knows it, the door to the workshop is pushed open and Jervis' jovial voice bounces off the walls as he calls out to her.

"Good morning M'dear! I do hope you slept well."

Anna doesn't look over at him as he speaks; her attention is still focused on not dropping the tools she has been gathering up in her arms. Licking her lips, she edges as slowly as she can towards the tool box, doing her best to not lose her grip on anything.

"Uuh…yeah…I slept alright, I guess."

'_Almost there…almost.'_ The moment she is close enough to pull a drawer open, she reaches out for the handle…and then drops everything. The sound of metal hitting concrete fills the air as the various tools bounce on the ground, scattering all across the floor. Frustrated with how counterproductive that was, Anna can't help scolding herself.

"Damn it! Now why did you go and do that?!"

Dropping to her knees, she starts gathering up the tools once again. Hearing Jervis moving around behind her, her brow raising slightly as she pauses to listen to him move over to a workbench for a moment before moving towards her. Anna looks up at him and gives him a sheepish smile, her cheeks turning a light pink.

"Sorry about that. I'm normally not this much of a klutz."

This gets a snort out of him and, after placing a mallet into the toolbox, he waves her apology away.

"No need to apologize. Accidents happen after all."

Smiling at him, she remains silent while they finish cleaning up. Both of them remain silent, only speaking to one another when they both start to reach for the same item. If their hands do touch, they share a laugh and one moves their hand away to grab something else. It only starts to become uncomfortable when it happens another three times. Part of her starts to wonder if it really is just by accident, then she shakes it off. She's being ridiculous; of course it's by accident.

Jervis places the last screw into the toolbox as he gets to his feet, his hand extending down to her to help her to her feet. Anna smiles at him but doesn't take his hand. She's a big girl after all, she can count to ten and tie her shoes all by herself. Instead, she pushes herself off the ground and rubs her hands against her pants.

"Well, nothing like a little distraction to start the day."

Something brightly colored resting on the workbench captures her attention, drawing her gaze towards it. As she turns to get a better look at the workbench, her eyes widen. _'Flowers?'_ He brought her a rather large bouquet of flowers: red Roses, Calla Lilies, Daffodils, Daisies, red Carnations, red and white Poppies, and several others that she has never seen before. Anna stares at them for a while, her eyes looking more and more like saucers. How is she supposed to react to this? It's very forward of him to bring her flowers….is it something she should be worried about or is this just an effort to show her some kindness? Either way, it makes her stomach knot up slightly. _'Stop it Anna.'_ She chastises. _'Just because he has done some…odd…things in the past doesn't mean that he's still acting like a creeper.'_ Anna walks over to the flowers and picks them up, forces herself to smile at him as she tries to figure out what to put them in.

"Ooh…um…thank you Jervis. They're beautiful."

"I'm glad you like them M'dear. This place needed something to brighten it up…I just thought these would be nice."

This is the first time she's been given flowers at the workshop, she doesn't have a vase to put them in. Thinking quickly, she goes into the kitchen to grab the pitcher of water from her mini fridge and drops the flowers into the water. They won't have cold water to drink while they work, but at least the flowers will last until she gets them home. Even as unnerving as it is that he has brought the flowers, part of her is a little flattered. It's been a while since someone has gotten her flowers, especially such pretty ones, it's a nice change of pace.

She sets the pitcher into the middle of the table they ate at the night before, her smile now more genuine than before, then looks back at Jervis. The pleased look on his face makes her laugh softly, the enormous grin spreading across his face lighting his face up. There's something nice about that smile…granted it does have a slightly creepy edge to it…but it is still nice none the less. She hasn't seen him smile this much since she picked him up from the asylum.

"You've got a great smile...you should show it off more often."

Anna walks over to him, pulling a ratchet wrench out of tool box and handing it to him.

"Now, let's get started. I'm going to make you really earn your freedom now…so don't think that giving me flowers has buttered me up. Cuz they didn't."

This earns her a laugh, amusement glimmering in his eyes as he steps aside and bows slightly to her.

"I would be disappointed if you did. I am quite fond of being intellectually challenged."

This makes her grin at him before leading him over to a large engine.

"Good to know. Now, be a dear and grab us a couple of stools. I'm going to show you how to take apart a tank engine. Try to keep up."

He does just that, setting them down in front of the engine before rolling up his sleeves. The pair sit down and Anna begins quickly explaining how it works. As she talks, she starts pulling it apart, her eyes flicking between Jervis and the engine. Anna hardly realizes it, but she talks faster and faster the further along she gets until she has completely forgotten that she has been trying to show him how to do this on his own. It isn't until he clears his throat loudly does she stop working to look at him again.

"Are you alright Alice? You've begun to mu-"

"What did you call me?"

"Anna."

Anna frowns at him and points her socket-wrench at him threateningly.

"No you didn't. Don't you dare try to lie to me! Call me Alice one more time, see what happens when you pull that nonsense again."

He doesn't seem to notice, or rather acknowledge, her threat and instead continues with what he was saying.

"You've begun to mutter, it makes it quite hard for me to learn a thing about this machinery."

Anna turns a vibrant shade of red, her eyes flicking down to look at her feet.

"Shit, sorry. I…I kinda forgot that I was telling you how…never mind. Let's try this again, shall we?"

With that being said, she dives right back into her explanation, though she can't remember where she started to trail off into her own thoughts and Jervis doesn't seem to be all that confused. Hopefully she picked up the lesson in the right spot, otherwise Jervis might be royally screwed when she shoves him over to work on his own engine.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry everyone for such a long delay with this chapter. I've been super busy these days but rest assured, I'm nowhere near done yet! :D**

Seeing Alice preparing for his arrival made the long trek to the workshop worth it. He could have taken a cab but it was a lovely day and if he had, he wouldn't have noticed the lovely flower shop. When she drops all of her tools, he has to bite back the urge to snicker. It was quite cute to see her become so flustered and to blush so much. But he knows better. She had done it all on purpose. Jervis can't imagine that his Alice was so clumsy, it just wasn't like her. Yes, she is a little rough around the edges at the moment but she still has a little grace in her actions.

Still, it's poor manners to not offer to help clean it all up. Even hearing her protests, he brushes it off. And he is grateful he had. As their hands touch one, two, three and then four times, he realizes that she must be playing some sort of game with him. **'Nasty, wicked girl.'** He thinks to himself. **'Teasing me so.'** Even as teasing as she is, it doesn't make him cross. Oh no. It makes his heart flutter before her reaction to the flowers makes his heart beat a little faster. Just seeing the way her expression softens as she looks over the colorful array, seeing the small smile that slowly appears. She really likes the flowers. **'Oh Callooh Callay, frabjous day!'** He will have to remember to get her some more to take home to her apartment. Hopefully, it isn't as dreary as her workshop is. He isn't sure she realizes the meaning behind the specific flowers, but at least she is admiring them. However, his moment of bliss is short lived and soon it was time to buckle down and get to work.

He finds her work interesting. It's quite complicated and it gives him a chance to see Alice so involved with something she genuinely enjoys doing. Jervis watches her as she works, amused that he must tell her multiple times that her words start trailing off as she toils on the engine until she is merely mumbling to herself. After she starts talking to herself for a third time, he gives up entirely on trying to keep her focused on her explanation on how the engine works. Not that he needs her to, he's perfectly capable of understanding what she is doing by carefully watching her. His eyes trail over her as she works, watching her closely…watching the way her eyes narrow when she has to force her fingers through a small space to tighten a lugnut…watching her bite back a curse when she twitches her hand and get a small cut on the back of her hand. Without saying a word, he moves towards the cabinets and finds the first aid kit. After a moment of digging, he pulls out a Band-Aid and brings it to her. By the time he has returned, Alice has brought the back of her hand to her mouth and is sucking on the wound. Jervis wrinkles his nose, disgusted by this.

"Really now, that's hardly sanitary. Wash your hand madam and put this on."

Alice pauses, her blue eyes flicking up to look at him, guilt and embarrassment flashing on her face. Slowly, she lowers her hand and gives him a sheepish smile.

"Oh…um….right. I kinda forgot about that…whoops."

Jervis sighs and shakes his head, grabbing her by the elbow and pulling her towards the sink. Alice grumbles slightly, saying something under her breath that sounds suspiciously like curses and complaints, but he doesn't acknowledge any of it. The foolish woman needs to be corrected of this habit. With that in mind, Jervis pushes her in front of the sink.

As soon as she is done taking care of that, he gives her a cheerful smile.

"Now Ali-"

He stops himself, catching the murderous look upon her face, and clears his throat.

"Anna. I do hope you don't mind me asking this…but do you go out very often?"

She shoots him an odd look, one that is between bewilderment and mild annoyance, and he quickly glances away from her. He needs to explain away why he asked before it becomes apparent his real motive.

"I had noticed there are no personal effects in your workshop…no photos or other decorative pieces in the kitchen."

There is a long awkward silence hanging in the air between them and Jervis begins to regret asking. It was too soon…too brash to bring it up. But he lets out a small sigh of relief when she finally answers.

"Well…I suppose I don't. I mean-I do go out for drinks with friends every so often but I'm generally pretty busy. I've got to focus on my work…"

Jervis looks back at her, a brow raising as he catches her eyes flick over to the object covered in the tarp. He was already curious about what she has been hiding but now he can feel his curiosity starting become harder to ignore. Reminding himself to take a peek at what is under the tarp when he is alone in the workshop, he forces himself to look away from it.

"That's a pity. You should enjoy life. I'm sure you boyfriend wou-"

Alice bursts into laughter, making Jervis cringe. He hadn't wanted that response. Though, it is better than her becoming angry with him.

"Oooooh…smooth transition Jervis. I don't have a boyfriend. I haven't had the time for romantic relationships. I suppose you could say I'm married to my work."

For a minute, Jervis stares at her in silence. He isn't quite sure if it is good that she isn't angry with him, he doesn't appreciate being laughed at, but he will count this as a small victory. He gives her a sheepish smile, his voice coming out much smaller now.

"Well…I hadn't meant it quite that way."

"Mmmkay. We can leave it here for now…but don't think this is over. I'm going to bust your chops about it again later."

Jervis frowns deeply at this, not at all amused by the prospect of being pestered about this another time.

"Lovely."

Jervis forces the frown off his face, doing his very best to smile at her once more as he reminds himself how unimportant this nonsense is. **'It doesn't matter in the slightest, soon it will be of no concern and we shall have the grandest tea party.' **Just the thought brightens his mood and soon he is able to laugh with Alice. However, the day comes to an end and he is forced to make his way home alone. Evidentially, Alice has some sort of project that needed her attention but only after he has left. The minute the door snaps shut behind him, he can hear several loud clicks as she locks the door. This makes him glance back at the door and quirk a brow.

"Curiouser and curiouser…"

Well, he is going to find out what his Alice is hiding from him. After all, it won't do at all for her to be keeping secrets from her Hatter. That's just rude…but until then, he must prepare her next gift. After all, Alice deserves to have unbirthday presents every day, each more extravagant than the last.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I would have liked to get this posted sooner but it seems life was conspiring against me. But never fear, I finally got another chapter done. Thank you to all of you who have been following my story. It means a lot to me. :)**

Anna isn't sure what to feel about the presents she has been receiving for days. It is a nice gesture but she can't help but be unnerved by the sheer number of flowers, chocolates and tools that Jervis has given her. She never thought she would have to tell someone that she needs room to move around her workshop and that she needs them to stop sending her flowers. **'Well, this has got to be one of the strangest requests I've had to make so far.'** Laughing softly to herself, Anna shakes her head as she drives to her workshop. One thing she is fairly certain about, Jervis might try to give her something other than tools soon if he thinks she's interested. He did hint at jewelry at one point.

As soon as the workshop is within sight, Anna sighs and shakes her head. She'll think about this another time, right now she needs to focus on something that is enjoyable. Right now, she can continue her work...continue to bring her babies one step closer to coming to life. Well, so to speak. They'll never truly be alive, they are machines after all. Climbing out of her car, Anna hums to herself softly as she makes her way to the door. She's so engrossed in her thoughts that she doesn't notice that something is off about the workshop exterior. It isn't until she is inside that she realizes that someone has been in her facilities while she was away. Anna frowns as she sees that more flowers have appeared on a workbench next to the tarp covered creation. Only one person would have done that and it infuriates her that he broke in.

"Are you kidding me?! He knows that he isn't suppose to be here...never mind the fact that I never gave him a damn key."

Still, she's not sure if he is still there or not, so she starts looking around before getting to work. From what she can tell, he isn't in the building...which is fine by her. She would lose her temper with him if he was here before she was. But even with as annoyed as she is, she still can't be angry with him. She should be, she knows that, but it's hard to be angry with someone who has been so mentally ill for so long and is only trying to be sweet. Shaking her head, she goes over to her filing cabinets to pull out the file Strange had given her. It should explain his behaviors a little. Maybe she should be more concerned with what he's doing or maybe this is just the learning curve.

Anna looks over the files, reading up on this whole Alice business. She doesn't waste time with the random blondes he has been capturing but rather the one that started it all. Alice Pleasance. As she reads about the obsession and stalking, Anna lets out a small gasp. The poor woman! It's clear from what was documented that Jervis had taken things too far. But in his mind he was in the right. Shaking her head, she puts the file away. She needs to set him straight soon. Otherwise she might end up another Alice Pleasance. Anna looks at the time and frowns deeply. He's late. She paces in the workshop for a while, picking up her tools after a few minutes, and marches over to her tarp covered baby. She needs something to pass the time.

Wrenching the tarp off and letting it fall in a heap on the floor next to her, Anna starts tinkering away on it. She's almost done with it, her work more cosmetic than anything else at this point. Still, she can't help but be excited about being able to take her baby out for a test run. Anna is so wrapped up in her work that she doesn't realize that Jervis has long since joined her in the workshop. It isn't until his shadow is over her that she realizes that he's standing right behind her. She lets out a loud yelp of surprise and leaps away from him, falling over the robot.

"When did you get there?!"

This earns her a chuckle and a broad grin.

"Ooh several minutes ago. But please, don't mind me. Continue working. I do enjoy watching you, you take such pleasure in your work."

Anna grunts and straightens out her clothes, doing her best to ignore the blush that's slowly starting to appear on her face. She's not sure how to respond to this. It's kind of creepy that he has been hovering behind her, just watching her. After a moment, she's finally been able to collect herself enough to reach for the tarp.

"Lovely. I'm glad that you've enjoyed yourself but the show is over now. Get some tools so we can get started."

Jervis snatches the tarp away from her hand as soon as she tries to cover the robot once more. Her spine stiffens as she watches him circle the machine curiously. He's clearly delighted to see what she has made and Anna can't help but wonder what has him so happy. It isn't as though she has made this for any nefarious reasons. These machines could easily help the GCPD round up any of the crazies that should be locked away in the asylum, minimizing the risk to human life. But it's obvious that he doesn't necessarily see it that way. Glowering at him, Anna props a hand on her hip while she holds out the other for the tarp.

"Ahem...gimmie."

Jervis looks over at her and frowns slightly, wagging a finger at her disapprovingly.

"Now, now. Mind your manners Alice dear."

"What did you just call me?!"

He waves her outburst away, the grin reappearing on his face.

"This is a lovely creation M'dear. You can do so many wonderful things with it. In fact, I imagine you would be able to get anything you want with its help...**anything**!"

She's not going to argue with him on that, she probably could. Not that she would of course...but she could if she really wanted to. Anna makes a move to snatch the tarp out of his hand but he quickly dodges her.

"Well, I'm not making this for selfish reasons. I'm making it to help others! Now gimmie!"

"Manners dear."

Anna grinds her teeth, her fists curling into tight balls until her knuckles start to turn white. This is starting to feel like a terribly stupid fight. A fight that she appears to be losing. It doesn't help that he seems to be finding all of this very amusing.

"Helping others you say. Hmmm...then why have you been hiding this? After all, if it isn't for your own needs, then there's really no reason to hide it."

This makes her blush deepen in hue and prompt her to work harder at getting the tarp back from him. Not that it really matters now, he's already seen it, but it's the principle of the thing. It's **her** creation and therefore it's up to **her** to decide what she is going to do with it. Not him.

"I'm not hiding it! I'm just...just keeping quiet about it until I'm ready to show it off."

Jervis shoots her a very disbelieving look and Anna can't help stomping her foot in frustration.

"Shut up! I never asked for you opinion."

He holds his hands up in defeat, letting out a small sigh.

"Very well. I'll take your word...but I still think that this could be used for more far interesting things than helping others."

Jervis places the tarp onto the robot and walks off towards the toolbox whistling merrily to himself.** 'My God. He is the most infuriating man I have EVER met...'** Grumbling to herself, Anna follows him to the toolbox and starts rifling around in it. This starts perhaps the longest, and most painful, day of her life. Every few hours or so, he would absently remind her that she could do so many different things with the robot...even suggesting they go on a heist together at one point. The mention of a heist makes her drop her tools, march over to where she keeps his files and jot down his exact wording. Oh, she is going to rat his ass out the minute she talks to Strange. He is busted! But the thing that surprises her the most, is the fact that he never tried to stop her from doing this. In fact, he didn't look up from the work he was assigned when she marched off...making her wonder if he was just teasing her at this point.

By the end of the night, she has long since run out of steam and can't seem to find the energy to be even a little annoyed with him. However, she does become frustrated with herself when she starts to enjoy his company a little more. She really needs to get out more. So far, she hasn't even tried to interact with someone other than him in a while and it's possible that is going to make it very hard for her to keep her head on straight. Making a mental note to go hang out at a bar or something on her next day off, she helps Jervis put the tools away before it's time to close shop.

"Why are we cleaning up so early tonight?"

Anna glances at him from the corner of her eye and shrugs absently.

"Oh, well, I had planned on surprising you with a little dinner before you went home. I'm not sure what sort of food you have in your temporary home right now. So I thought it would be nice...that's all."

He doesn't say anything and she doesn't look at him long enough to really get a good look at his expression but she can almost feel the delighted grin spreading across his face. In fact, he is oddly quiet throughout dinner beyond a polite thank you when she passes him something. This leaves her confused and a little curious about what he could possibly be thinking about. Did she offend him? Or is he thinking about something from before he met her? Is he missing his friends in the Asylum? Forcing herself to not think too into his silence, she lets him have his peace and walks him out of the workshop once they have finished. **'What a weird guy...kind of makes him fun to be around.'**


End file.
